National Republican., 1887-10-14
BADLY FORMED LIMBS.
Reasons Given by an English Surgeon
for the Imperfection OF Human Lsgs.

LONDON faper.
Comparatively few men have really
straight legs. In walk along the
Strand and Fleet street made a rough
estimate, and found that not more
that one In three Of the men who
passed me was STRAIGHTFORWARD. Most Of
them were bow or bandy.legged, some OF
them were knock-kneed, and In a. few in
stances both legs bent the same way. 1t
was noticed that, as rule, the stout,
heavy men had parenthesls legs, while those
Of slighter built in many cases carried their
bodies on figure resembling an X.
The rule, however, does not always hold.
Many men Of no uncomfortable avoirdpois
strike their knees together when they walk.
1t Is not uncommon to see long, lasky man
whose legs are so bent that he is physically
incapacitated from stopping the traditional
pig In the alleyway. Frequently bow
'leggedness is associated with strength. 1t
is usually seen In short, sturdy men. Those
who are knock.kneed have no such recon-
pense, unless the excuse for renewing
trousers, which are constantly worn out at
the knees by cha6ng one against the other,
be construed as such.
A well-known surgeon who has had long
experience In city hospital was asked to
explain the prevalence of crooked legs.
he said:
sit is fact that very few persons have
straight legs. My attention is often called
to 1t. 1t is hard to say just what 1t is.
Many say tina. 1t is because children are
made to walk when they are too young.
Mothers like to see their little ones on their
feet at as early an age as possible, and so
sometimes force them to stand before their
legs are able to bear the weight OF their
take take children out for wan an airy airy
ing often make them walk without their
parents knowledge. Undoubtedly this
formity. Probably many man owes
his curved legs to careless nurse,
who got tired Of carrying him when he
was baby, and put him down when away
from his mother. Others say, with good
reason also, that 1t is due to baby carriages.
The child Is wheeled about until 1t Is quite
old. Its body is thus developed while its
legs are doing nothing, and when finally it
is made to use them they, being still soft,
bend under the weight OF the body. / be-
lieve that this treatment OF children is re-
sponsible for more bowleggedness, or one
moscoliosis, as we call II, than anything
else.
"Every one knows that the bones Of the
human body are made up Of cartilaginous
OF bntWy HDer anu mineral matter, ana
that when young the former predominates.
The bones at that stage have, therefore,
little rigidity, and are easily bent. Un-
fortunately they have little elasticity either.
and readily take BET. The proportion of
cartilage and mineral matter varies In diff
ferent children, 80 that II is impossible to
give any fixed age at which they should be
made 10 walk. Many can walk we'll when
IL months old, while Others cannot do so
until they are two years old.
"ln some children there Is au unusual
proportion Of slnew in the bone, and In
these cases the legs are almost certain to
become crooked. In these instances
braces can be used with advantage until the
bones harden, This simple remedy is
rarely used, however, sometimes because
the tendency is not noticed until II Is too
late. The legs bend one way or the other
very gradually, and when the curve is per-
ceptible 1t Is usually past the cure of braces.
This condition OF the bone Is often due to
insufficient food and general neglect I'M
less the blood Is kept rich and healthy the
bones are apt to be retarded In develop
ment, and so remaining soft, are readily
twisted.
"SOmetimes bow legged children become
straight when they grow older. My mother
told me that when / was o child my legs
formed an almost perfect ellipse. Now, 1
venture to assert, they are straighter than
most mems. In my own experience have
seen this occur, but 1t impossible TO fore
tell II the curve IN chilu's legs Will
strOighten out In after years or nOtn